I’m intigued by your assertion that remaining part …

I’m intigued by your assertion that remaining part of the UK provides ” safety in numbers and the degree of shelter offered effectively by the powerhouse of London and the south east”

The major problem for the UK economy is its over-dependence on the financial sector, a financial sector which is predicated on money which has no real value at all.

Apart from Germany the most successful countries in Europe, and the ones best prepared to withstand the economic fallout, are Scandinavia and Finland.

It’s not size which matters, it’s being sensible and having a sense of your true worth.

London is also the subsidy junkie of the UK grotesquely supported by public funds way above anything any other nation or region of the UK receives on a per capita basis. Economic meltdown will cause the withdrawal of most of that unsustainable support.

If the Uk is going to take the economic hit there is no way in which the London economy will offer shelter. London is the self inflicted sick man of the UK probably Europe ,currently with a patina of wealth ( all fur and nae knickers comes to mind!) and it’s about to have its crutches kicked away.

It will be the rest of the Uk which will have to bale it out.

While Scotland will not find its neighbour wanting, Independence offers a future based on real understandable money and the re-industrialisation of Scotland through renewables,smart manufacturing, and sustainable repopulation of our rural communities.

As the failure of the UK political establishment to handle the crisis becomes ever more apparent the developing majority for Independence will increase significantly.

We have an ideal pilot in Alex Salmond steering the good ship Scotland through the stormy seas. By suggesting the postponement of the Referendum you remove our rudder and we’ll be at the mercy of a financial Corryvreckan

The financial key for government in any system is to secure the necessary funding for its programmes and ambitions. Land including the property and floor space thereon can provide substantially greater public revenue than currently raised while substantially reducing the liability of the vast majority of people to contribute financially to the state.

The Greens have an agenda to raise tax generally and propose to retain most existing taxes when the reverse is possible if they only embraced the full potential of a model of Annual Ground Rent which dispensed with all other taxes. Such an approach would comply with the ECHR and offer private land owners some substantial benefits as well.

It would also force us as a society to rethink our relationship with the land and how we steward it. Something which will have huge significance for us as driver-less cars and other innovations reduce traditional employment opportunities and we turn our attention to keeping an increasing population active who are not otherwise gainfully employed.

Will Hosie’s London caper keep Robison in Cabinet?For all your comments about the abilities of members of the Scottish Cabinet the fact is they were returned by their constituency electorate and the Scottish government was returned with a higher share of the vote. The reasonable take on that would be that the electorate is generally well pleased with the past performance of the Scottish government and its ministers. Time for Newsie to move on, wipe the slate of criticism clean and see how they perform collectively and individually in the new term.

On a personal level I rather like her and have worked with her and other parties on the Vale of Leven Hospital Campaign group for many years.

She is opportunistic in exploiting perceived concerns about the Vale of Leven Hospital and Faslane which she has been instrumental in creating. But I think you will find next Friday Morning that she has cried wolf too often. Gail Robertson has a quiet dignity about her and her work rate and attention to detail is to be admired. She will be an excellent MSP for her constituents.

If Jackie is returned on the Labour List then I hope her contribution can be more positively focused in combining with those of us determined to improve the quality of life of the Lower Clyde

As the Royal Mail was the only public service with the capacity to contact personally virtually every citizen 6 times a week here is an opportunity for the postal service to take on a basis social work role of checking on older, lonely and vulnerable people. Such a service could be developed in different ways and make a major contribution to addressing loneliness and those who may not speak to another human being for weeks.